Quick-releasing whiffletree.



Patented onz, 1909.

PIIMIHN E. A. GARKIN.' QUICK RELEASING WHIFFLETRBE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908.

EDWIN A. CARKIN,

0F MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, lASSIGNDR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 HARRIS B. MITCHELL, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

QUICK-RELEASING WI-IIFFLETREE.

Application filed November 23, 1908.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. CARKIN, of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quick- Releasing Whiflietrees, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a whiiiletree adapted to quickly release the traces engaged with it, so that the horse may be quickly detached from the vehicle 1n cases of emergency. j

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanyingrdrawings, forming a part of this speciiication,-Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle to which my improved whiflietree is applied. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of a whilfletree embodying my invention. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

My improved whiiiietree is here shown as composed of a body portion 12 which is preferably made of wood, and ferrules 13 attached to the ends of the body portion and projecting therefrom, said ferrules being of metal and having their outer ends closed, and provided with recesses 14, adapted to receive the end portions of the usual harness traces 15. The preferred construction, whereby the recesses 14 are formed, is that shown in Fig. 4, each ferrule 13 having a head 16'which forms the inner side of the recess, and a bent arm 17 which forms the bottom and outer side of the recess. rlwo trace-engaging bolts 18 are provided, said bolts being movable lengthwise of the whiiletree and adapted to be projected into the recesses 14 to enter eyes formed in the end portions of the traces 15.

The inner side of each recess 14 is pro-' vided with a guide through which the corresponding bolt passes, the outer side of the recess being preferably provided with a socket 19, which receives and laterally supports the outer end of the bolt when the latter is projected, so that the bolt cannot be Specication of Letters Patent.

bolt 18,

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Serial No. 463,955.

bent or pulled from the recess by strain eX- erted on it bythe trace. t

Each bolt is automatically projected or held yieldingly in its trace-engaging position by yimeans of a spring 2O which is located in a spring chamber formed within the ferrule 13 beyond'A the end of the body portion 12, as shown in Fig. 4. One end of the spring bears on the inner end of the and the opposite end of the spring bears on a plate or washer 21, which is supported directly by the end of the body portion 12.

Means are provided. for retracting the bolts to withdraw them from the traces, said means being preferably vas next described: 2.2, 22 represent bell crank levers which are fulcrumed at 23, 23 in the upper and lower walls of a shell 24 fitted in a recess formed in the longitudinal center of the body portion 12, the fulcrum pins 23 being located within the space inside said shell and protected from injury thereby. Each lever has arms of unequal length, the shorter arms being within the shell 24 while the outer ends of the longer arms project from said shell toward the rear side of the whiflletree, and are provided with slots 25, with which are engaged branches 26 of a flexible strap 26, or other suitable pull device adapted to eX- tend from the whiflietree to the body 30 of the vehicle. The vertical pivot bolt 0f the whiffletree, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, passes through the shell 24 and not only holds the shell concealed within the recess, but also prevents the shell from being pulled out by the strain on the pins 23 when the bell-crank `on their fulcrums, and are caused to move the rods 27 inwardly toward the center of the Whifrletree, and thus simultaneously retract the bolts 18 and release the traces 15.

Owing to the unequal length of the arms of the levers 22, and the fact that the pull device is connected with the longer arms of the levers, the power exerted on the pull device is employed to good advantage in re- 5 tracting the bolts.

The springs 20, besides automatically projecting the bolts7 prevent rattling of the rods 27 and levers 22 in the whililetree. Owing to the fact that the rods and levers are located mainly inside the whiiiietree, the working parts are mainly out of sight, so that there is nothing objectionable in the appearance of the whitlietree. The location of the levers 22 at the central portion of the whiffletree obviates any necessity for extending the flexible pull devices to the end portions of the whifletree. Y

Owing to the fact that the bolts are movable lengthwise of the whiiiietree and crosswise of the traces, there is no liability of accidental displacement of the bolts by the strain exerted on them through the traces.

The rods 27 are preferably made of relatively stout wire, so that in case of the breakage of the body portion 12 of the whiiiietree, said Vrods will prevent the whiiiietree from becoming absolutely inoperative.

Owing to the described arrangement of y Vthe bolts and recesses, improper connection of the traces to the whiiiietre is impossible.

The described arrangement of levers, rods, and bolts enables the pull device or strap to be extended to any desired part of the vehicle, and eitherV horizontally, upwardly or downwardly from the whiiiietree.

I claim:

A whiiletree having a body portion formed with a recess and having longitudinal passages fromsaidrecess to the ends, a shell in said recess, the bodyportion and the shell having openings inv alinement for a pivot bolt whereby the shell is locked in the recess, fulcrum pins crossing the spacerin said shell, levers mounted on said pins, trace-receiving recesses at the ends of the whil-Iietree, bolts movable lengthwise across saidrecesses to enter the eyes of traces inserted therein, and connections between said levers and bolts, said connections extending through the longitudinal passages of the body portion.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN A. CARKIN.

Vitnesses:

ARTHUR H. BROWN, P. W. PEZZETTI. 

